Field of the Invention
The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally to polyurethanes and their manufacture, and more specifically, are related to methods for the manufacture of polyurethane foams of a variety of densities and which use sugar as the source of the polyol component.
Description of the Related Art
Polyurethane foams articles are used extensively in a wide array of commercial and industrial applications. The popularity of polyurethane foam articles is due in part to the fact that the physical properties of a polyurethane foam article may be selectively altered based on the formulation of reactants which form the polyurethane foam article. The formulation may be developed to provide a polyurethane foam article that is soft, flexible and open-celled which can be used in applications such as seat cushions. On the other hand, the formulation may be developed to provide a polyurethane foam article that is rigid, structural, thermally resistant and closed-celled and which therefore can be used as a thermal insulation panel.
The most common method of forming polyurethane foam articles is the mixing and, subsequent reaction, of a polyol (e.g. a resin composition) with an isocyanate in the presence of a blowing agent. Generally, when the resin composition is mixed with the isocyanate to form a reaction mixture in the presence of the blowing agent, a urethane polymerization reaction occurs. As the urethane polymerization reaction occurs, the reaction mixture cross-links to form the polyurethane and gas is simultaneously formed and released. Through the process of nucleation, the gas foams the reaction mixture thereby forming voids or cells in the polyurethane foam article.
The resin composition typically comprises one or more polyols, a cell opening agent, a cross linking agent, a catalyst, an adhesion promoting agent and various additives. The blowing agent creates the cells in the polyurethane foam article as described above. The cell opening agent helps open the cells so that the cells form an interconnected network and improves the stability of the polyurethane foam article. The cross-linking agent promotes cross-linking of the reaction mixture which results in the polyurethane foam article. The catalyst controls reaction kinetics to improve the timing of the polymerization reaction by balancing a gel reaction and the blowing agent to create the polyurethane foam article, which is stable. Other additives, such as adhesion promoting agents (e.g. an aprotic solvent), may be added to the formulation in order to facilitate wet out of the reaction mixture and promotes adhesion of the polyurethane foam article to substrates upon which the polyurethane foam article is disposed. For example, the substrate may be a thermoplastic shell or thermoplastic liner of a picnic cooler. The density and rigidity of the polyurethane foam article may be controlled by varying the chemistry of the isocyanate, the resin composition and/or the blowing agent, and amounts thereof. Other additives that are often included within the polyurethane foam product are fire retardants, typically halogenated- (e.g., brominated and chlorinated materials) and phosphorus-containing retardant materials.
Plastic foams have been utilized as thermal insulating materials, light weight construction materials, and flotation materials and for a wide variety of other uses because of their excellent properties. Until recently, their use has been somewhat limited in environments where there is danger of fire because of their substantial fuel contribution, their contribution to rapid flame spread and the fact that they generate large quantities of noxious smoke on thermal decomposition when burned or heated to an elevated temperature. This has limited the commercial development of plastic foams, and large amounts of money and much research time have been expended in attempts to alleviate these problems.
With the present interest in conserving heating fuel, many existing buildings are installing additional insulation, and newly constructed buildings are including more insulation than was formerly used.
A previously common type of foam insulation for existing structures are urea formaldehyde foams, which are foamed in place between the outside wall and the inside wall of the structure, with or without additional, fiberglass insulation. Fiberglass insulation alone can be considered to be porous in nature since it is generally a mat of fine glass fibers, which can contribute to lower insulation values by allowing air circulation within the walls. Foam insulations, however, form an air barrier between the interior and exterior walls of a structure, and thus form a generally impervious barrier to air circulation, thereby making them better insulation materials. Unfortunately, the urea formaldehyde foam that has been used spontaneously decomposes, releasing formaldehyde fumes in quantities which may be toxic. The use of urea formaldehyde foams in construction is prohibited in many building codes for this reason.
Another type of material often used for insulation is polyurethane foam. However, polyurethane foam provides a substantial fuel contribution, spreads flame rapidly, and releases toxic gases including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide when burned. Additionally, conventional polyurethane foam articles are made from petroleum-based polyol. As a non-renewable feedstock, petroleum has both environmental and financial drawbacks. Accordingly, there are environmental, economic, and commercial advantages associated with the use of polyols based on renewable feedstocks such as natural oils to make what some term “bio-based” polyurethane foam articles.
Rigid polyurethane foams are generally prepared by reacting an organic polyisocyanate with a polyol. For most commercial purposes, the reaction is conducted in the presence of a foaming agent, surfactant, catalyst and possibly other ingredients. In order to reduce the cost of preparing these foams, efforts have been made to employ polysaccharides such as starch or cellulose as a polyol reactant in their preparation. The use of such alternative polyol materials has been unsatisfactory to date because of the poor physical properties of the foams produced unless they have been modified in some way or supplemented with conventional industrial polyols. For example, oxyalkylated starch yields satisfactory foams, but the direct oxyalkylation of starch results in uncontrolled degradation or decomposition of the starch. When such products are used in the production of foams, the foams do not have uniform chemical or physical properties.
The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to polyurethane foams using natural or plant-based polyols, such as sucrose, for the polyol component in the foam composition, wherein the resultant foams exhibit a high degree of burn resistance, and a high bio-base measurement, indicating that the product has a very high ‘green’ rating according to ASTM standards.